An open letter to President Amit Chakma and the Board of Governors:

In late September 88 per cent of the librarians and archivists at the University of Western Ontario authorized their union to initiate strike proceedings. The 55 librarians and archivists at Western have been without a contract since July 1. The reasons for this decision are three-fold:

First, the librarians and archivists wish to ensure they receive fair job evaluations conducted by their peers in order to continue to develop as professionals, academics and educators.

Secondly, they are calling for increased job security. This would provide assurances that our librarians and archivists are allowed to continue performing the duties and responsibilities they have been hired to carry out without fear of involuntary relocation or reassignment.

Thirdly, they are seeking improvements in salaries and benefits equitable and representative of their collective level of education, academic knowledge and professional roles. Despite the wealth of riches available at Western, our librarians and archivists are among the lowest paid in Canada. According to the 2009-2010 Canadian Association of University Teachers Almanac, the average salary of a librarian at the Western is nearly $15,000 less than that of the national average for academic librarians in Canada. Moreover, in comparison to the 113 members of the Association of Research Libraries, the salaries and benefits for librarians at Western Libraries rank at 91st.

These highly trained and highly educated professionals are experts in their field. They provide the student body, as well as faculty and staff with an inimitable wealth of academic expertise. Our librarians and archivists are the heart of the university: facilitating the flow of scholarly information and research throughout the University and its affiliates.  Additionally, these individuals are highly respected mentors and role models for the students in Canada’s leading Library and Information Science program at Western.

The librarians and archivists have stridently kept pace with the rapid technological changes affecting the profession. Now it is time for Western to also keep up with the times by providing our librarians and archivists with a fair deal reflective of their intrinsic value to the success of Western and its student body.

We, the undersigned Library and Information Science student groups along with the Library and Information’s Science student body, pledge our support to the librarians and archivists at the University of Western Ontario: our colleagues, peers and future professionals.

— Debbie Kendze

Chair of the Canadian Library Association — UWO Student Chapter

Julia Merritt

Master of Library and Information Science Student Council

Jessica Luet

Member of Librarians Without Borders — UWO Committee